Merry Christmas?
by Silvermissstt
Summary: A Christmas-centered excerpt from the sequel to my story Broken - It's the holiday season in the Hannigan household, and of course, with Agatha in charge, things don't always go as planned.


**Author's Note: Merry Christmas! I decided to post a piece of fluff this year, so I hope you enjoy! This is actually an excerpt from the sequel to _Broken_ , which is entitled _The Past is in the Past_ , but that isn't even finished yet, so you get a sneak preview. This is the 18th chapter of that story, but there honestly aren't many things to catch up with in this chapter if you've read _Broken_ , except for the fact that Rooster lives with them and he's reformed :).**

 **I just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who's been supportive of my fanfictions this year. It means so, so much to me, you have no idea. I love it when people take the time out of their day to give me feedback on what I've written. I love you all.**

 **Happy holidays! Let's see what 2016 brings us!**

* * *

Annie groaned as her eyes fluttered open, annoyed by the blinding sunlight streaming in through the window. It was way too early to be awake.

As she sat up, however, she had the strangest feeling that there was something special about the day. She glanced around the room until her eyes fell on her and Pepper's calendar, the red circle around _December_ _24th_ nearly screaming out to her. She gasped.

"It's Christmas Eve! _It's Christmas Eve_!" Annie hurriedly threw off her covers and ran down the hall to her mother's room, flinging the door open as she sang out, "Mom! It's Christmas Eve! It's _finally_ _here_!"

Agatha was already awake when Annie entered her room and she groaned at the sight of the girl, seeing her hopes of getting another hour or so of sleep going down the drain. "That's wonderful, darling," she replied absentmindedly. "But you do know it's _tomorrow_ we open presents, right?"

"Yeah, I know." Annie said, her excitement unwavering. "But it's still _Christmas_ _Eve_! We have so much to do still! Santa's cookies aren't going to bake themselves."

Molly rolled over now and whined softly, pulling a pillow over her head. "I'm tired, Annie! It's too early to wake up, and stupid Santa doesn't even deserve any cookies! He's mean!"

Agatha chuckled and began to rub the little girl's back. "She was up late," she said to Annie as an explanation. "You know how she gets when she doesn't have enough sleep."

"Go _away_ , Annie! I don't care about stupid Christmas!" Molly grumbled, tiredly kicking her leg out at Annie.

"Hey, Molly, no ma'am." Agatha said sternly, shaking the covers off of the girl. "We don't kick in this house. Apologise to your sister right now."

Molly sat up and pouted, crossing her arms. "She woke me up, Mommy." She complained. "She should be saying sorry to me!"

"I don't want to hear it, Molly," Agatha said, her tone sharp. "We use our words, not our feet. Apologise to your sister."

"Sorry, Annie." Molly mumbled half-heartedly before flopping down onto the bed again. "Please be quiet now!"

Agatha chuckled and turned back to Annie. "Sweetheart, it isn't even eight in the morning yet. I can assure you that we'll have more than enough time to prepare for Santa coming tonight. You should just go back to your room and get some more sleep."

"Well, I can't go back to sleep now. I'm way too excited!" Annie sat on the bed, her wide smile growing even wider.

Agatha kissed the little girl on the forehead. "Alright. I suppose that's fair. Let's let your sister sleep, though. Come along. You wanna make breakfast with me?"

Annie was already on her feet before Agatha could finish her sentence. "Is that even a question?" She asked excitedly, taking her mother by the hand and dragging her downstairs.

Agatha laughed, grateful for a distraction from the stress that came along with the holidays. She couldn't ever remember being so tired. For the last three days, she'd been on her feet nonstop and according to Annie, her job was far from done. It was times like these when she really hated being a single parent. She was working so hard trying to ensure the girls had a perfect Christmas that she'd barely had a moment to herself.

"Hey, Mom, how come Molly isn't excited about Christmas?" Annie asked as she whisked the pancake batter. "It's the best day of the whole year!"

Agatha smiled sadly, wishing that she had a good answer to the question herself. "The holidays are a pretty stressful time for everyone, sweetheart, and I think Molly may be feeling just a little overwhelmed."

"She deserves to be happy." The little girl replied with a thoughtful look. "Do you think it's too late to change what I want from Santa? Maybe I could ask him to make Molly happy."

Agatha was silent for a moment, not trusting herself to speak. "I…. that's very thoughtful, love, but maybe a little too much to ask of Santa? He may not be able to come through. I don't want you to get your hopes up."

"I'm gonna ask him, anyways." Annie concluded, continuing to whisk the batter. "He eventually came through and gave me a mom. He could come through for Molly."

Agatha sat down now, completely distracted. She wanted more than anything in the entire world to grant Annie's wish and make Molly as happy as she deserved to be, but the truth of the matter was that she wasn't a miracle worker, no matter how much she wanted to believe she was. Molly needed a lot more time to heal than just a single day.

Agatha just wished she knew why her youngest daughter was so reluctant to get excited over the holiday. She had a strong suspicion it had something to do with Molly's biological father, but she also didn't want to stir up bad memories if they could be avoided. She couldn't amend anything if she didn't know the root of the problem, however, so it was a double-edged sword. She wanted Molly to enjoy her first proper Christmas, but in order for that to happen, she had to know why the little girl didn't enjoy Christmas in the first place. It was a lose either way.

"Good morning, sis." Rooster said now, his voice interrupting Agatha's train of thought. "Merry Christmas Eve."

Agatha smiled slightly. "Merry Christmas Eve," she said in a soft voice, her own Christmas spirit dwindling.

Rooster immediately knew something was wrong by the tone of his sister's voice and he looked to his redheaded niece. "Annie, why don't you go wake Pepper and walk to the shops to get us a new gallon of milk?" He asked, fishing a ten-dollar bill out of his pocket.

Annie immediately nodded and took the bill from her uncle, kissing her mother briefly on the cheek before heading up the stairs to get Pepper.

Once both girls were gone, Rooster turned back to his sister. "Alright, Aggie, what's eating you up this morning?" He asked, wrapping his arm around Agatha.

Agatha shook her head, wiping away a tear with the back of her hand. "I'm a poor excuse for a mother, Roost. I think my kids are the only ones in the entire world that aren't excited over this goddamned holiday. You know what Annie asked me today? She asked me if it was too late to ask Santa to make Molly happy for Christmas. That's all she wants. The hell does that say about me, Rooster?"

"Absolutely nothing." Rooster answered instantly. "It means that Annie is a super sweet kid who cares a lot about her sister, but it doesn't say a damn thing about you. You're a great mother. Not everything can be perfect all the time, you know."

Agatha wasn't comforted by this. "My kids shouldn't have to worry about things like this, Roost. I'm supposed to have the answer to everything, aren't I? Isn't that what mothers do? So why the hell can't I fix my kids when they're hurt?"

"You're doing everything you can, Agatha." Rooster reminded his sister. "These types of things take time. Don't beat yourself up. At least you're trying."

Agatha shook her head. "I suck at being a mother. The girls would be better off with anyone else. At least they would know what they're doing. I was an idiot to think I could raise three kids all on my own. I'm ruining my kids, Rooster."

"You shut up with that bullshit right now." Rooster said sternly. "Agatha, I've never seen you so happy before now. The girls love you so much, and it's obvious you love them more than you've ever loved anything before. They'd be miserable without you."

"So, what, I should be grateful that they're miserable _with_ me?" Agatha replied, scoffing. "I have no idea what to do anymore about Molly, Rooster. I just want her to be happy, but how do I give that to her?"

Rooster rubbed his sister's back. "Just be patient. She's getting there."

Agatha leaned over to kiss her brother on the cheek. "What the hell would I do without you, you big sap?" She asked and Rooster laughed.

"Be lonely and feel like a failure of a mother all alone." He answered.

The two of them heard the pattering of feet on the carpet behind them now and Agatha looked up to see Molly walking down the stairs, looking as if she was half asleep still.

"Merry Christmas Eve, darling." Agatha said, walking over to the little girl and picking her up. "Did you sleep well?"

Molly kissed her mother on the cheek. "Yeah, Mommy, I did." She replied. "Where's Annie and Pepper? I wanted to say sorry to Annie for kicking her…" the little girl looked down.

"Oh, I'm sure she's forgotten it by now." Agatha reassured, setting the little girl down on a chair. "They went out to get some milk, anyways. They'll be back soon."

"Oh," Molly answered, nodding. "Santa Claus comes tonight, doesn't he?" She asked this almost hesitantly and Agatha sat beside her.

"Indeed he does, love." Agatha replied, brushing some hair away from Molly's forehead. "Are you excited for him to bring you presents?"

"He's not gonna bring me any…" the little girl said sadly.

Agatha was confused by this. "Of course he is, darling. Why on earth would you say something silly like that?"

Molly looked up to her mother, tears in her eyes. "…'Cause Santa doesn't bring presents to little girls who don't deserve 'em, and I don't deserve any."

"That's absolute rubbish." Agatha said, pulling Molly onto her lap and kissing her forehead. "If there's any little girl out there who deserves presents, it's you, love. Who in the world told you that you didn't deserve presents?"

Molly sniffled. "My daddy…he said that I was naughty and stupid."

The pieces of the whole confusing puzzle came together now and Agatha hugged Molly tight to her. "Absolute rubbish, my dear," she repeated quietly. "I can almost guarantee that Santa will bring you something."

Molly wrapped her arms around Agatha. "D'you promise me?" She asked, her eyes wide with trust.

"I promise you, love." Agatha confirmed, kissing Molly on the forehead again before setting the little girl onto the floor. "Now, your sister abandoned me in the middle of making breakfast, so would you like to take over for her?"

"Okay, Mommy!" Molly agreed, hastily grabbing the bowl of pancake batter. "What do we do now?"

Agatha laughed. "Well, you may want to wash your hands first," she said, redirecting the girl to the sink. "Rule number one of being a good chef is sanitation."

Rooster watched his sister from his spot at the kitchen table with a wide smile upon his face. She was a natural when it came to parenting and he hated hearing Agatha doubt her abilities. She'd come so far from the middle aged alcoholic whose only reprieve was the bottle. His sister was thriving, and she deserved to be proud of herself.

 **…**

"So, love, what do you think of Christmas now?" Agatha asked the following night as she tucked Molly into bed, making sure that all her new toys were in arm's reach.

Molly grinned widely. "Mommy, Santa Claus is the nicest guy in the entire world! He gave me _everything_ I wanted!"

"So I'm assuming you're a fan of his now?" She made herself comfortable on the edge of the bed and began to run her fingers through Molly's hair.

"He's the best." Molly conceded, flopping down onto her pillow with an impressively loud yawn for someone so small.

Agatha chuckled. "Well, perhaps you can write a thank-you letter to him tomorrow, but for now, it is high time you got some sleep." She leaned down and placed a soft kiss on Molly's nose. "I love you, darling. Sweet dreams."

"Mommy, wait." Molly called out, reaching out and grabbing Agatha's arm as she began to walk away. "Don't go."

Agatha turned back around and smiled. "What's the matter, love?"

"Stay with me." Molly scooted over and made a spot in the bed for her mother. "Please?"

"Well, how in the world can I say no when you've asked so politely?" Agatha smiled and made herself comfortable in the spot Molly made for her, wrapping her arm around the little girl.

"You're my favourite person, Mommy." Molly whispered as she curled up against her mother's chest, shutting her eyes.

"Thank you, darling," Agatha whispered, kissing the top of Molly's head. "Get some sleep now, alright? I'll be right here if you need me."

The little girl was fast asleep before Agatha even had the chance to finish her sentence and once it was completely silent in the room, Agatha let out a loud sigh of relief.

She'd made it through her first Christmas as a parent without a single meltdown – from either the girls or herself.

She'd made it through her first Christmas as a parent without any of her children getting upset with the gifts they received.

She'd made it through her first Christmas as a parent, and maybe…. maybe next year, it would be perfect.

But for now, Agatha was content with having her youngest daughter sleeping against her. There was nowhere she would rather be,


End file.
